Whispers of Destiny: His Belated Love

Chapter 13

Maxwell must have thought he'd given her a good enough nudge because his tone mellowed out a bit, "A little tiff between husband and wife can be spicy, but if you overdo it, it just gets bland. I don't have time to play this divorce-remarry drama with you. Move back in tonight. I'll let your recent shenanigans slide."

Rosemary didn't really listen to him, nor did she ponder why he mentioned "janitor”. All she heard was him dissing her for her low salary, not being able to afford rent, and her dramatics!

"Maxwell, what the hell is wrong with you? Even if my salary is crap, I'd rather crash in a bridge nook munching on near-expired buns than move back in with you. Either you hustle and get that divorce paperwork sorted with me, or I'll see you in court!"

She hung up the phone on him and chucked him straight into the blacklist. She wanted to block him on WhatsApp too, but she held back, figuring she needed to keep at least one line open for divorce talks.

Rosemary swore, the moment she got that certificate, she'd block that jerk Maxwell and never cross paths with him again.

Meanwhile, a couple of colleagues were gossiping nearby, "That hunk who came asking about Zora this morning, wow, wonder if he's married."

Rosemary was taken aback for a second; the guy who had come to the studio this morning was Christ. She did see him, but she was busy mopping up some water she'd spilled, so she couldn't be bothered to chat and just walked off.

And at that time, she recalled that Zora was right there cleaning her desk.

The colleagues were still joking around, "He was asking about Zora's job in our studio? With her cleaning uniform on and mop in hand, isn't it obvious?"

That was when Rosemary realized why Christ had come. It all made sense. Knowing Maxwell had the wrong idea, she didn't call to explain; she didn't need to report her job to him.

She thought Maxwell would agree to the divorce quickly after getting the lawyer's letter, but a week had gone by with no peep from him.

Rosemary was getting antsy, but all she could do was wait. After work, Yolanda invited her to a trendy new restaurant. Rosemary, with her flexible schedule, went ahead to grab a seat.

She had just sat down when the place filled up, and seeing the long line outside, she was glad she came early.

Head down, she was texting Yolanda the table number when she heard a voice overhead, not quite familiar, "Rosemary, you here by yourself? Mind if I join your table? I got here late, and the waiter said it's at least a two-hour wait."

Rosemary looked up to see Victoria in her ladylike outfit, light makeup on, not strikingly gorgeous features but a pretty combo that turned heads.

Rosemary flat-out refused, "Not really convenient."

But Victoria sat down anyway. Rosemary's face chilled instantly, "Ms. Temple, can't you understand words?"

Victoria looked apologetic, "Are you still mad at me? The night you married Maxwell, I didn't mean to call him; I didn't think he would come."

Rosemary cut her off, not wanting to hear about the past, "It's not about hate, just pure dislike for a drama queen."

With that said, it was time to drop the subject unless someone wanted to humiliate herself. Victoria went silent for a few seconds, her gaze complicated, and then probed, "I heard you're getting a divorce with Maxwell?"

Rosemary wasn't surprised she knew, yet the thought that Maxwell was clearly stringing her along while eagerly sharing the news with others made her curse them silently a thousand times!

Meeting Victoria's inquiring eyes, Rosemary put down her phone and smirked sarcastically, "Yeah, but he won't agree. He's like gum on my shoe, can't shake him off, totally annoying! I thought he'd be over the moon to get rid of me for Ms. Temple." She snorted, tossing out a conclusion, "Turns out, you're nothing special either."

Victoria's face went through a series of changes, her hands clenched on her lap, her fresh manicure digging into her skin. Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

Rosemary saw Victoria like this, her mood lifting, slightly arching her lips upwards, "Ms. Temple, could you please not hog the seat? It's a bit sickening."

Victoria held back her anger, not lashing out, and watched Rosemary ignore her and play with her phone. Then she asked lightly, "Are you playing hard to get with this divorce, or is it because Martin is back?"

Martin. Rosemary's expression froze, a name she hadn't heard since getting married, felt like a blast from the past.

When did he return? She wasn't in the same circles as him, but they had mutual friends. Maxwell and him were tight as thieves, yet she hadn't heard a peep.

Seeing Rosemary stunned, Victoria felt she scored a point, the gloom in her eyes dissipating, and she prodded further deliberately, "Why act so innocent? You've been in touch with him all along, right? Have you already made your move behind the scenes? I mean, you almost ended up in his bed once."

The sharp sound of a slap echoed, shocking the people waiting outside the restaurant and cutting off Victoria's words.

Rosemary, looking at Victoria holding her face in shock, was even surprised herself that she had lashed out. The burning pain in her palm was a clear reminder of the force of her slap.

"Rosemary!" A dark voice called from behind her. That sound?

Before she could turn around, Maxwell was already beside Victoria, looking down at her with a menacing air, the hostility enveloping the surroundings, "What do you think you're doing?"

With Maxwell's arrival and a painful face, Victoria's eyes turned instantly red, as if her savior had finally arrived.

Rosemary wasn't the least bit scared of the guy's interrogation, casually shaking off her sore hand, "What does it look like? I socked someone."

"Maxwell." Victoria clung to the man, wrapping her arms around his waist, her voice husky with a tinge of distress, "I didn't mean to tick off Ms. Chambers. I just casually mentioned Martin, but I never expected her to lash out. If I had known Ms. Chambers was still hung up on him, I never would've brought him up."

Maxwell heard the reason, his face turning stormy, his lips curling into a mocking sneer. Looked like after all these years, she was still not over that dude.

He glared at Rosemary, his words laced with authority, "Apologize."

Even though she saw it coming, the fact that he sided with Victoria without even asking for her side of the story, it'd gotta sting.

But Rosemary wasn't about to let Maxwell see her crumble. She tilted her head defiantly, locking eyes with him. Then, out of the blue, she flashed a cheeky grin, her eyes sparkling with a brazen charm, a blatant taunt, "Dream on."

Apologize to Victoria? That'd happen when pigs flew!

Maxwell's eyes narrowed, his lips turned down, pressing into an unhappy line, "I said apologize; don't make me say it a third time."

His words were seething with anger. Rosemary thought, geez, to get Maxwell this riled up, she must be the worst, right? Little did she know, it wasn't the fact she hit someone that got him mad.

"I'll say it again too, no way!"

After taking a firm stand, Rosemary was totally off her food. She grabbed her bag and was ready to bolt.

But before she could make her grand exit, her arm was yanked back with a vengeance, followed by Maxwell's voice, furious to the max, "Causing all this drama just to get a divorce, huh? Fine, I'll grant you your wish. Tomorrow morning, nine o'clock, let’s get it done!"